EPH FAMILY MEMBERS IN NEURONAL MIGRATION

这项研究的目的是建立一个分子的理解， 成年人大脑中神经元替代的基础机制。 评估大脑的自然自我修复能力将有助于确定 修复机制，用于神经元损失和退化的情况。 最近，神经元前体细胞，保留能力， 分化成神经元的过程一直持续到成年期。 在 在小鼠中，这些细胞位于侧脑室的侧壁 转移到嗅球， 分化成嗅觉神经元。 知之甚少 关于这些前体细胞：他们如何在他们的命运中保持不确定， 成年人大脑的其他成熟和确定的结构;或者什么 信号引导它们随后迁移到嗅球，甚至 在老鼠的一生中都会发生。 这项拟议中的研究将调查最近发现的一个受体家族 与嗅觉迁移通路的细胞有关 成年小鼠的球茎。 在其他研究中，这些受体与 在轴突的指导下，就像在发育中的视觉系统中一样，它们可能是 与早期胚胎的空间模式有关。 这是一个巨大的， 相互作用的受体家族，似乎需要细胞接触才能 有效激活。 初步研究将确定特定的家庭 成员定位于迁移路径。 的功能能力 与迁移细胞相关的特异性受体， 使用体外和体内测定系统进行评价。 研究 这些神经元前体细胞的特性将提供有关 一组细胞可能具有巨大的潜力， 因外伤或神经退化而受损的神经组织。

The purpose of this study is to establish an understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie neuronal replacement in the adult brain. Assessing the brain's natural ability to repair itself will help determine repair mechanisms to use in situations of neuron loss and degeneration. Recently, neuronal precursor cells which retain the capacity to differentiate into neurons have been found to persist into adulthood. In the mouse, these cells reside in the lateral wall of the lateral ventricles of the brain and migrate to the olfactory bulb where they then differentiate into neurons which function in olfaction. Little is known about these precursor cells: how they remain undetermined in their fate in the otherwise mature and determined structure of the adult brain; or what signals direct their subsequent migration to the olfactory bulb, an even that occurs throughout the lifetime of a mouse. The proposed research will investigate a family of receptors recently found to be associated with the cells of the migratory pathway to the olfactory bulb in adult mice. In other studies, these receptors have been implicated in axonal guidance, as in the developing visual system, and they may be involved in spatial patterning of the early embryo. This is a large and interactive family of receptors, that appear to require cell contact for efficient activation. Initial studies will identify specific family members localized to the migratory pathway. The functional capacity of specific receptors, which are associated with the migrating cells, will be evaluated using in vitro and in vivo assay systems. Studies into the properties of these neuronal precursor cells will provide information about a group of cells that may have tremendous potential int he repopulation of neural tissue that has been damaged by trauma or neurodegeneration.